| Domestic Legislative Success | Bay Area Leadership | Fundraiser Announcement | Regional Conference |
RESULTS' major global goals for 2000 were to increase funding for international TB control programs, and to restrict the ability of the World Bank and the IMF to impose "user fees" as a loan condition. In many countries, mainly in subSaharan Africa, user fees to access basic health care services have resulted in denial of service to the poor, who have no money to pay. And user fees to attend public school has resulted in tens of millions of children, especially girls, from withdrawing from public school.
The foreign aid appropriation bill President Clinton signed November 6 met both of these goals. The bill increased funding for international TB control to $60 billion, which will triple U.S. support for these programs. And it included unambiguous language that compels the U.S. Executive Director of the World Bank, the IMF, and the regional development banks to oppose any loan of these institutions that would require user fees or service charges on poor people for primary education or primary healthcare. Further, if these institutions pass such a loan despite the negative vote of the U.S. Executive Director, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees are required to be informed within ten days. This will create the opportunity for hearings, and the presidents of these institutions could be "invited" to come and face the music — and Congress' song has become "No User Fees," thanks to the work of RESULTS and other groups that worked on this issue
RESULTS minor goals for 2000 included increasing funding for the Child Survival and Diseases Account, and increasing funding for microenterprise lending, with a target that at least half the money is for programs that lend to the poorest people, especially women. This year's legislation included these provisions too: $963 million for Child Survival and Diseases, and a separate bill authorized $155 million for microenterprise lending, requiring half the money to go to programs lending to the poorest. These are the highest funding levels for these accounts ever.
RESULTS' top domestic legislative priorities for 2000 included expanding access to Food Stamps. The Agriculture bill, signed by President Clinton October 28, expanded access to food stamps in two important ways. This bill allows states to set a higher limit than the current $4,650 on the value of a car owned by a food stamp recipient. The bill also allows food stamp recipients to pay higher rent without jeopardizing their benefit. When the House passed the bill, Rep. Tony Hall (D-OH), sponsor of the Hunger Relief Act, the legislation from which these provisions were drawn, acknowledged RESULTS and Derek Miller of our legislative team on the House floor.
Our other top legislative priority was to expand Head Start. Next week, Congress appears likely to increase funding for Head Start by over $1 billion, the largest increase for Head Start ever!
The Bay Area Congressional delegation deserves a lot of credit for supporting RESULTS' legislative agenda and making these victories possible. The Stop TB Now Act, which provided for $100 million for international TB control programs, was co-sponsored by Reps. Eshoo (D-Palo Alto), Lantos (D-San Mateo), Lee (D-Oakland), Lofgren (D-San Jose), Miller (D-Pleasant Hill), Pelosi (D-San Francisco), Stark (D-Hayward), and Woolsey (D-Santa Rosa). Senator Feinstein cosponsored the corresponding Senate bill, and Senator Boxer introduced a successful amendment to increase the Senate funding level for TB by $11 million, and then worked hard behind the scenes to get the Senate to compromise up to the higher House funding level. Rep. Pelosi, ranking Democrat on the Foreign Operations Subcommittee, worked hard to fund TB at the $60 million level, substantially above Chairman Callahan's (R-AL) markup of $40 million. Pelosi also led the campaign against user fees, and it was a spectacular achievement given the opposition of Treasury and the lack of companion legislation in the Senate.
The Hunger Relief Act, the legislative vehicle for expanding Food Stamp access, as co-sponsored by Reps. Campbell (R-Campbell), Eshoo (D-Palo Alto), Lantos (D-San Mateo), Lee (D-Oakland), Lofgren (D-San Jose), Miller (D-Pleasant Hill), Stark (D-Hayward), and Woolsey (D-Santa Rosa). Senator Boxer cosponsored the companion Senate bill.
Action: Send a thank-you letter to your legislator for supporting these bills! Address: Rep. _____, House of Representatives, Washington DC 20515; Senator______, U.S. Senate, Washington DC 20510.
Sunday, December 3, 2000
Lookout Bar & Grill, Sunnyvale
light brunch, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Featuring presentations on innovative and successful microcredit and health programs in El Salvador.
Join us in generating the political will to end hunger and poverty.
Come with a willingness to give $100 or more
or becoming a monthly sponsor of $10 or more per month.
More info: Peter, (650) nnn-nnnn
Our California regional conference featured several guest speakers, including Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland), who shared with us her inspiration and goals for further reform of the International Financial Institutions. She has declared her leadership in opposition to the free-trade export-led-growth paradigm promoted by the World Trade Organization and other International Financial Institutions. Rep. Lee criticized the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, which Congress passed this year. AGOA has been called "NAFTA for Africa," and while it purports to provide economic opportunities for Africa, in practice it will provide economic opportunities for transnational corporations and further impoverish African farmers, entrepreneurs, and working people. She promised to work on legislation to provide for bottom-up economic development for Africa.
Rep. Barbara Lee, Introduced by Sue Oehser
Results Legislative Director Joanne Carter, Global Partners for Development Executive Director Peter Verbiscar-Brown, and UCSF Professor of Anthropology Dr. Chris Kiefer spoke in a panel on "The Diseases of Poverty" moderated by Joel Rubinstein
Special thanks to Anna Haight for organizing the conference, to Crisley Bauer for arranging for the location and catering, and to all who came to learn more about generating political will to end hunger.
Conference pictures and other info: http://www.annalou.com/conf.html